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Montezemolo critical of current state of F1

Fernando Alonso takes a turn in his Ferrari earlier this season. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo had some harsh words for Formula One. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was in loquacious form at a media event in Italy Friday. He was also keen to air his views on the current state of Grand Prix racing.

And those views confirm that there is still much uncertainty behind the scenes about the future direction of the sport.

As in the past, he stressed the need for Formula One to be a platform for developing road car technology rather than keep all of its focus on aerodynamics.

He also made it clear that he had little time for smaller teams that have budget problems -- and suggested once again that it would be a better option for bigger teams to sell smaller teams a third car.

“During the year, there were some things I did not like,” he said. “I saw cars that did not comply with the regulations, but instead of being disqualified, their teams were told to fix it for the next race.

“Above all, I note with regret that it is no longer possible to have a technology transfer from the track to the road, because in too many areas, development is frozen.

“All this is borne of a desire to go for the lowest common denominator, something that needs to stop, and is the result of decisions made four years ago, when there was an urgent necessity to reduce costs. With 2014 however, we need to start a new phase -- we will see which means of governance Formula 1 will adopt, but we will put forward our ideas very forcefully.

“For our part, a choice which I wanted to emphasize to give the greatest possible emphasis with the Board of Directors, we will do all in our power to push for a strong change, to bring Formula 1back to its role as a real test bed for road car research.

“We will no longer accept this principal of absolute democracy. The gap between the small teams and the big ones is still very big but you can’t always do everything at the lowest level -- if they don’t have the resources or the structure then they should compete in a lower series.

“On this subject, I will put back on the table the idea of selling a third car to the smaller teams, a solution that would allow them to have a competitive car at relatively low cost, which would allow them to attract more sponsors.”

Montezemolo has long made his opposition to testing restrictions clear, a stance that is no surprise given that Ferrari has access to both Fiorano and Mugello, but can’t utilize them.

“As for testing, it’s getting close to ridiculous,” he said. “The FIA is not opposed to it, we are not, and so what is the reason for it? There are teams who have put a lot of funding into simulators as have we, while at the same time we have invested heavily at Mugello, which is now one of the nicest circuits in the world.

“In the next few days we will meet [Formula One president Bernie] Ecclestone and [FIA president Jean] Todt and we will put all these perplexing points on the table. I would remind everyone that test sessions are not just for developing the cars, but are also an opportunity for sponsors and for young drivers. What possible media or commercial interest can there be in testing in a simulator?”

Montezemolo also defended Ferrari’s actions regarding the Vettel/Vergne flag incident in Brazil -- and took the opportunity to take a shot at Ecclestone.

When the incident hit the headlines, Ecclestone criticized Ferrari, and in response Montezemolo made reference to Ecclestone’s age. Ecclestone in turn pointed out that he had once dealt with an 88-year-old Enzo Ferrari. Montezemolo struck back today.

“Every so often, Bernie likes to play the boss and gets involved in matters that don’t concern him -- godfathers no longer exist, at least not in Formula 1.

“Interpretation of flags, be they yellow or blue is nothing to do with him and he used expressions that I do not accept. Our behavior in this instance was not only transparent, but perfect, and maybe he would do better to think about attracting bigger crowds and more youngsters, and to discuss more with the television stations and the media.”

He also made it clear that it was time to for the sport to plan for life after Ecclestone.

“We are approaching a time when we need to think about the future, because all eras must inevitably come to an end, as happened to us when Todt, [Mercedes boss Ross] Brawn and [former driver Michael] Schumacher left. It’s not a case of replacing Bernie and in fact I do not like doing to others what I would not want to happen to myself.

“It’s a question that needs to be tackled with the current owners of this sport, CVC [Capitol] which, let us not forget, is an investment company looking for a financial return on what it has invested in Formula 1. The era of the one-man show cannot continue -- the future should be in the hands of a team that will look after all the different areas.

“We are slowly approaching the end of a period characterized by the style of one man who has done significant things. It’s a bit of a similar case to what will happen to me: within the decade I will face this question, but when I am 75, not 82…”